Beyond Our Knowledge
by MikaylaMakoola
Summary: There are things that no one should ever know about. Terrible things. Unfathomable things. Things that are best left buried. Now imagine for a second that you unearthed these things. Imagine that you have spent your whole life trying to protect your family from the things you shouldn't know. Imagine that those very things are on your trail. Imagine... that you're Stanford Pines.


**PROLOGUE**

"Ah, Bill. It's good to see you. I must admit, I was surprised to hear that you had already returned from your summoning."

Bill Cipher's gaze stayed fixated on the ground. He levitated slightly higher and then back down, as a means of indicating yes. He knew better than to speak without any real purpose. His thin, inky legs quaked underneath him. He wrung his hands anxiously. Though, as a demon, it was impossible for Bill to feel fear, nothing was stopping him from the empty pit of dread he was falling into, or the wave or nerves washing over him.

This was perfectly common, of course, considering the presence he was in.

The ruler of all demons. The only person who Bill actually took orders from. His name was Rex. Just Rex. There was no title, like you might expect. He didn't go by "King Rex" or "Emperor Rex" or anything like that. But naturally, if you were to speak to him you would address him as you saw fit, using "your highness" or the like. Demons who worked directly under him would be allowed to say "sir" rather than a fancier title.

Demons like Bill.

Had Bill looked up, he wouldn't have seen much. It would've been almost as if he were looking through a distorted piece of glass. His eyes would've taken in a faint ripple, a bend in light rays so to speak, and maybe a tinge of purple. And that was with a trained eye. To most, Rex was completely invisible. Unless, of course, he felt like being visible. But seeing as no one knew what he looked like, this was an extremely rare occurrence.

"I heard your summoning related directly to my cause, Bill." Rex spoke again, his slippery voice sly. "Is this true?"

"Yes, sir." The dream demon answered immediately, feeling his insides churn.

There was greed in his tone as Rex inquired, "After all these years… he has eluded me. Tell me you have finally secured it for me. Tell me that I finally own Stan Pine's soul."

A heavy silence settled on the room. Bill was almost wishing that he could be swallowed by terror. It would make his inability to talk so much more explainable. Rex's impatience began to radiate towards him, and he swallowed.

"Bill…" Rex growled. "You're not telling me."

Still he was mute.

The purple in Rex's figure was beginning to give way to an angry red. "I'm going to ask you one more time, _Cipher_, and I expect an answer. Did… you… get… his… soul?"

"No."

This single word seemed to echo. It had been said so bluntly, without the added 'sir' without anything. There hadn't even been any apprehension in his voice. Bill closed his eyes, knowing how badly he had just screwed up.

"No?" Rex repeated quietly. "NO?" He screamed.

Bill could see the king of the demons begin to glide towards him. He resisted the urge to back up. He stayed completely still, not daring to do anything to provoke his master further. Soon, the translucent creature was upon him.

"Thirteen." Rex hissed in his ear. "Thirteen years I have waited for another chance to rob Stanford Pine's of his mortal soul. Thirteen years. I was so close, Bill. So close. I had him on the ropes. He thought that I was his friend. That I was going to help resurrect his dead brother. It was all going according to plan. But do you know what went wrong?"

"No, sir." Bill muttered, uncharacteristically serious. Had this been anyone else, any other demon, he would've made some wise-crack. When it came to Rex, he knew better.

"His sister got involved. The youngest of the three, Mary always had the most sense. She took one look at me and knew exactly what and who I was. She used a spell to banish me. I tried to regain connection with Stan, but Mary rid him of any influence I had. She used a tattoo she had learned from a kindred spirit she had met in the forest. That tattoo severed any link I had created to him. I learned afterwards that it also prevented me from contacting him."

Bill couldn't stop himself from asking, "Why did you want his soul so bad anyways?" He paused. "Sir." He added as an afterthought.

"Because I needed all three of them. I had his brother Sean. And I knew if I could Stan, then Mary would follow." Rex mused.

"What did you need them for?"

"I had to get rid of the Pines family if I wanted to control the town. Sean, Stan, and Mary were my only opposition. Sean had had a son, but he hated Gravity Falls. He hated everything in it. So did his mother. So she divorced Sean and left town with her son." Rex explained. "In time, the son convinced himself that everything he had seen was just a figment of his imagination. Stan and Mary are the last two Pines who know the secrets of this town."

Bill's mind immediately flashed to the two children that had defeated him. He couldn't help but chuckle. Finally he knew something that the other demon didn't. "Yeah… about that."

Rex seemed to float back a ways. "What?" He snapped. Stan could hear the deep irritation in his voice. "What is it?"

"Yeah, well, I guess Sean's son found a girl and got real intimate with her, if you catch my drift." The dream demon laughed at his own joke.

Rex was quiet for a second. "What are you talking about?" He gnarred.

"He's got a couple of kids now, see. Twins. A boy and a girl. They're staying with Stan, and it looks like he's told them what's going on. The boy is actually pretty bright. The girl… she's got spunk, I'll give her that."

"You met these children?"

The isosceles monster straightened his bow tie nervously. "Yes sir. You might even say that, uh, they're the reason that this summoning didn't go so well."

"They defeated you."

"Uh-huh. While I was in Stan's mind." He admitted.

"You had _the advantage._" Rex snarled.

Bill cleared his throat. "Technically. But-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses, Cipher. You were defeated by two kids that don't even live in Gravity Falls. You've proven yourself useless. The human who summoned you handed you Stan Pines on a platter." He suddenly snickered. "This all could've gone so differently for you. I could've appointed you my second-in-command. We could've taken over Gravity Falls, and from there… the world. But you lost all of that… because of a couple of kids."

"Wait, Rex-"

"Guards!" The demon king yelled. "Take Cipher to _the box_. I think he needs some time to think."

Two demons flew in. They resembled gargoyles, but appeared to be made of shadows. They both had fangs, and huge, inky wings. They each seized Bill by one of his black, spindly arms, and began to fly out of the room.

"Wait! Please wait!" Bill cried.

"Stop." Rex ordered lazily.

The gargoyle-like demons obeyed.

"What were their names, Bill?" He questioned.

"W-What?"

"The children who bested you."

Bill racked his brain desperately. "Um… Dipper and Mabel." He responded as quickly as he could.

"Thank you." Rex's tone indicated that he was smirking. "Now take him away."

"No! Please no!" Bill pleaded.

"I'll see you in a week or so, Cipher… as long as I remember to let you out." The king cackled.

Bill was dragged out of the room. He was still screaming as the large, heavy, steel door slammed behind him. Rex turned his back to it and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Dipper and Mabel Pines…" He murmured to himself, rolling the names around on his tongue. "Let's see if I can't just get a trace on you." He closed his translucent, soulless eyes.

The image of two children entered his mind. They were near-identical. Rex couldn't help but notice how much they looked like Sean. They had his brow and his slight figure. The boy even had his pink, constantly stuffy looking nose. Their brown hair reminded him of Mary, however, as did the sparkle in Mabel's eyes. He noted the pink sweater she was wearing. Now that was a blast to the past. He had never seen Mary without a sweater on. And were those braces? The longer he looked at her, the more he saw Mary. And the longer he looked at Dipper, the more he saw Sean. But as long as there wasn't a third one that shared Stan's appearance, he should be fine.

Suddenly, another character entered the scene. She was a girl, a few years older than the other two. She clearly wasn't related. She was tall and lanky, and had long, red hair. She began talking to Dipper, who turned a light shade of red. Rex saw him laugh nervously and rub the back of his neck. He nodded frantically, and the redhead left. Mabel seemed to start to tease him the second she was gone.

Rex grinned cynically. He had just found his way in. "Guards, locate Vicis. I believe I have the perfect mission for her."


End file.
